Loxiorhiza Warren, 1904

Queiroz-Santos, Luziany, Casagrande, Mirna Martins & Mielke, Olaf Hermann Hendrik, 2021, Taxonomic revision of the monotypic genera of Siculodini (Lepidoptera, Thyridoidea, Thyrididae, Siculodinae), Zootaxa 4920 (2), pp. 235-253 : 241

Loxiorhiza Warren, 1904

( Figs 3 , 7 , 11 , 14 , 16 )

Loxiorhiza Warren, 1904 . Novitates Zoologicae, 11 (1): 494; species included: Siculodes cervinalis Pagenstecher, 1892 .— Dalla Torre, 1914. Lepidopterorum Catalogus 20: 37.— Gaede, 1936, in Seitz. Die Gross -Schmetterlinge des Amerikanischen Faunengebietes. Die amerikanischen Spinner und Schwärmer 6: 1204, fig. 180h (d).— Whalley, 1964. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, (13) 7 (74): 122.— Whalley & Heppner, 1995, Thyridoidea, in Becker et al. Checklist: Part 2, Hyblaeoidea–Pyraloidea–Tortricoidea, in Heppner (ed.). Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera 3: 32.

Type species: Siculodes cervinalis Pagenstecher, 1892 , by monotypy.

Taxonomic history. Warren’s (1904) description of the genus Loxiorhiza included Siculodes cervinalis . He also noted that Zeuzerodes Pagenstecher, 1892 is distinct from Loxiorhiza , justifying the description of the new genus.

Diagnosis. Loxiorhiza is distinguished from the remaining genera of Siculodini by: (i) wings with an ocher ground color with irregular dark gray spots, more abundant on the ventral face ( Fig. 3 ); (ii) male with setae on the anal margin; (iii) saccus with setae; (iv) valva with editum; (v) fultura superior sclerotized with spines; (vi) vesica with cornuti; (vii) signum oval and (viii) papillae anales suboval.

Redescription. Forewing: length—males 18.6 mm (n = 13), females 18.6 mm (n = 11); male with slightly convex outer margin, female with anterior half slightly concave and posterior half straight, both sexes with diffuse dark gray line between R 5 –M 3 on both sides; retinaculum above Sc.

Hindwing: length—males 10.9 mm (n = 13), females 11.3 mm (n = 11); both sexes triangular, nearly half the size of the forewing; dark gray diffused line on both sides between M 1 –M 3; dorsal surface with darker distal half; male with a tuft of setae on anal margin close to the base; male with one and female with two bristles in the frenulum.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 7 ): tegumen rectangular in dorsal view, with rounded posterior angles, posterior margin with slight medial indentation; saccus suboval in lateral view, with numerous long and thin setae in the distal portion; uncus triangular, base with small lateral lobes and with posterior tip curved ventrally, thin and short setae immediately posterior the base; gnathos thin, U-shaped, membranous in the basal portion, and projected ventrally; valva spatula-shaped, costa slightly concave, rounded apex and ventral margin straight, editum small with thin and long setae, sacculus rectangular and narrow; fultura inferior U-shaped, with rounded ends and short setae; fultura superior sclerotized, with two arms converging posteriorly, forming an inverted V-shape with numerous spines; aedeagus cylindrical and curved in lateral view and, in dorsal view, bilobed distally, with proximal opening for the ejaculatory ductus rounded and vesica with small cornuti.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 11 ): tergum VIII rectangular in lateral view, lamella antevaginalis slightly sclerotized, ostium membranous; posterior apophyses longer than the anterior apophyses; bursa copulatrix with the beginning of the ductus bursae sclerotized and the corpus bursae four times smaller than the ductus, signum ( Fig. 14 ) oval, with numerous sclerotized spines; papillae anales suboval, as long as tall, covered with thin and short setae.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Male genitalia of Loxiorhiza cervinalis from Brazil, Mato Grosso do Sul, Miranda (Bodoquena mountain) (CEIOC 003). A) ventral view. B) lateral view. C) inner view of valva. D) dorsal view of tegumen and uncus. E) dorsal view of aedeagus. F) lateral view of aedeagus. Scale bar 1mm.

FIGURE 16. Geographic distribution of Iza and Loxiorhiza species in South America.

FIGURES 3–4. Loxiorhiza and Meskea species in dorsal (A and C) and ventral (B and D) views. 3. L. cervinalis, A–B: male from Bolivia, Santa Cruz, Buenavista (NHMUK 010921576); C–D: female from Brazil, Goiás, Leopoldo Bulhıes (NHMUK 010921560). 4. M. dyspteraria, A–B: male from USA, Texas, Hidalgo, Pharr (Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park) (MGCL); C–D: female from El Salvador, San Salvador (ZSM). Scale bar 1cm.

FIGURES 9–12. Female genitalia of Hepialodes, Iza, Loxiorhiza and Meskea species in lateral view. 9. H. follicula from Brazil, Goiás, Campinaçu (Barra Mansa farm) (DZ 39.216). 10. I. nubecula from Brazil, S„o Paulo, Salesópolis (Boraceia) (DZ 39.288). 11. L. cervinalis from Bolivia, Santa Cruz, Buenavista (NHMUK 010921618). 12. M. dyspteraria from El Salvador, San Salvador (MSFR). Scale bar 1mm.

FIGURES 13–14. Signa of Hepialodes and Loxiorhiza species. 13. H. follicula from Brazil, Goiás, Campinaçu (Barra Mansa farm) (DZ 39.216). Scale bar 1mm. 14. L. cervinalis from Bolivia, Santa Cruz, Buenavista (NHMUK 010921618). Scale bar 0,5mm.